Transcript

00:00:02

>> Eerily quiet streets in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians here are holding a general strike in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails. Some of the more than 850 Palestinians currently in prisons across Israel can be seen in street posters. Family visits and telephone calls are the two main disputes between them and Israeli officials.

00:00:26

652 prisoners have been on hunger strike for over a month and residents here in Hebron champion the protest.>>

FOREIGN]

> It's a general strike that shuts down all facilities in the West Bank, Gaza, and the 1948 territories. It's a good step by all the shop owners in support of the prisoners.

00:00:46

>> Israeli officials insist the two sides are close to a deal to end the hunger strikes, but that couldn't come soon enough. On Monday, papers reported that 60 inmates had been moved to hospitals because of deteriorating health. Israel's Prison Service says it's turned some wings into infirmaries equipped with suitable medical equipment.

00:01:06

The Palestinians want access to the Red Cross. And last week, the protests built from inside the prisons and out onto the streets of as Israeli soldiers clashed with residents showing support for the prisoners.

SOUND] P

lestinians say the open-ended strike is to protest against poor conditions, and lack of access to the Red Cross.

00:01:27

And an Israeli policy of detention without trial that has been used against thousands of them since the 1980s.